PENSIONERS left with no heating over Christmas and New Year have called on Liverpool council to take swift action to end their plight.

PENSIONERS left with no heating over Christmas and New Year have called on Liverpool council to take swift action to end their plight.

Failed housing repair firm Interserve was today supposed to give up its contract with the city council, but legal delays mean the long-awaited new regime, headed by Enterprise Plc, will not take over until the end of the week.

Interserve leaves a backlog of repairs affecting thousands of city council tenants. Many have no heating or hot water, while others have broken windows.

Harry Park, 70, from Dingle, said: "We lost our heating on December 20 and there is still no sign of it being fixed. The company has let people down time and again.

"As long as Interserve remain in charge, the backlog is growing."

Although an Interserve engineer visited the couple within 24 hours of their boiler breaking down, he could not fix the problem and the couple have heard nothing.

Harry and wife Catherine, 69, waited nine days before Interserve finally gave them a single portable heater.

Catherine added: "The heater can only be used in one room at a time. Normally, we are very active but it has been so cold in the house it is almost impossible to do anything.

"The house is damp and I can't dry clothes. Having no heating ruined our Christmas."

Executive member for housing Cllr Flo Clucas promised services will be improved once Interserve has gone.

"There have been delays with some of the legal documents, compounded by the Christmas break, but we hope to have everything resolved within a few days.

"After 20 years of complete under-investment, the council is committed to putting the customer first.

"Enterprise is an experienced company. It turned around Liverpool's street cleaning services and I'm confident that by March people will begin to see real improvements in services.

"People should not have to wait for their heating to be fixed. We know what our priorities are and how to tackle them."

But Cllr Steve Munby, Labour spokesman for regeneration, said: "There has got to be some guarantees from Enterprise that they will provide the high standard of service people need and deserve.

"And if they fail, the council should be in a position to pay compensation for those who have lost their heating. Many elderly people are frightened to use portable heaters because of the electricity costs.

"If they knew they would get that money back, it would be reassuring and reduce the risk of suffering."

T&G convenor Sid Fenlon, who represents around 500 staff transferring to Enterprise from Interserve, said: "We have been informed that our contracts will remain with Interserve, although there has been no explanation.

"The major concern for us is that the transfer is days away and we still do not know who will be managing the service.

"Enterprise has no real experience in housing repairs and there is a lot of work to do."